Book banning in the United States has been overwhelmingly associated with K-12 schools: school boards removing books from libraries, state legislatures passing laws restricting what can be taught, parents challenging titles they find objectionable. But the movement is increasingly reaching higher education, and LGBTQ+ content is consistently at the center of the controversy.
The Shift to Higher Ed
College and university libraries have traditionally been protected by academic freedom principles that K-12 schools lack. Faculty tenure, shared governance, and institutional commitments to intellectual freedom created a buffer between book-banning movements and campus libraries. That buffer is thinning.
Several developments are driving the shift:
State legislation that applies to public universities. Some state laws restricting “obscene” or “sexually explicit” content in educational settings are written broadly enough to cover public university libraries. In practice, enforcement has been uneven, but the chilling effect is real — librarians and faculty report self-censoring purchases and curriculum choices to avoid becoming targets.
Donor and trustee pressure. At private universities, major donors and board members have increasingly used their influence to challenge library holdings, campus speakers, and curriculum content related to gender and sexuality. Unlike public universities, private institutions aren’t bound by the First Amendment, making them more vulnerable to this kind of pressure.
The “parental rights” framing expanding to college students. The same “parental rights” arguments used to justify K-12 book bans are being extended to college students — particularly those under 21 — with claims that parents have a right to control what their children read even after they turn 18.
What’s Being Targeted
The pattern is consistent: books with LGBTQ+ content, particularly those addressing gender identity, are challenged far more frequently than any other category. The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom reports that of the top 10 most challenged books in 2025, the majority were targeted for LGBTQ+ content.
On college campuses, challenges take different forms than in K-12:
Library collection challenges. Formal requests to remove specific books from the library. These are subject to collection development policies that most academic libraries have, but the policies are only as strong as the institution’s willingness to defend them.
Curriculum challenges. Students, parents, or external groups objecting to course content, reading lists, or assigned materials. These challenges often target required courses, where students can’t simply choose not to engage with the material.
Speaker disinvitations. Invited campus speakers whose events are protested, disrupted, or cancelled due to their views or identities — a pattern that disproportionately affects speakers addressing gender and sexuality topics.
Database and journal access restrictions. Less visible but equally concerning: state-level attempts to restrict university access to research databases or academic journals that include content related to gender-affirming care, sexual health, or LGBTQ+ studies.
What Students and Faculty Can Do
Defending intellectual freedom on campus requires action at multiple levels:
Know your library’s collection development policy. Most academic libraries have clear policies governing how materials are selected and how challenges are handled. If a book is challenged, the policy — not political pressure — should govern the response. Students and faculty can advocate for strong policies before challenges arise.
Support your librarians. Academic librarians are on the front lines of intellectual freedom, and they often face pressure with little institutional protection. Showing up for them — through faculty senate resolutions, student government statements, or simply emails of support — matters.
Document challenges. When books are challenged or removed, document it. Organizations like PEN America, the American Library Association, and the National Coalition Against Censorship track these incidents and can provide support, legal resources, and public visibility.
Build coalitions beyond the obvious. Faculty senates, student governments, and academic departments across disciplines all have stakes in academic freedom. The English department isn’t the only place that should care about book bans. Building broad coalitions makes it harder for administrators to dismiss concerns as coming from a single constituency.
Make the case for why it matters. Arguments about intellectual freedom can feel abstract. Ground them in specifics: the student who found themselves in a library book, the research that depends on uncensored access to information, the democratic principle that adults in a free society get to decide what they read.
The campus library has long been one of the few spaces where LGBTQ+ students could find themselves reflected in print — often the first place they encountered books that suggested their lives were worth writing about. Defending that space isn’t just about principle. It’s about students who deserve to see themselves on the shelf.
